Aerial amusement apparatus.



T. B.- WADE. I AERIAL AMUSEMNT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION PILBDJULY so. 191s,

Lwm, ,Patented A311214, 1914.

3 SHEBTB-SHEBT lA T. E. WADE.

AERIAL AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

lAPPLIATIN FILED JULY 30. 1913. 934555, Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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T. E. WADE.

AERIAL AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED 1111130.1913.

LQL, A Patented Apr. 14.-, 1914i.

cadran 'enanas tiers Patent.

Application alert July thi, lilla tti-:rial lilo. ""-Ef,l.`tl.

To all 'Lu/rom it may concern Be it known that l, 'lirioams E. Wann, a citizen of the United States, residing,` Philadelphia, in the county ot' Philadelphia Aand State of Pennsylvania, have invented neu`v and usefulv improvements. in Aerial Amusement Apparatus, ont which the totI lowing is a specification This invention i. later zo an aerial amuse nient apparatus embodying the use of senger cars or vehicles in the iEo-rmoi aero planes or of flying' machines, held captive for traveling motion alone,1 aviiired line ot travel, the object of the invention losing to Aprovide an amusement apparatus of this character in which a desired number of cars or vehicles may be used for transporting" passengers in. such a Way as 'to simulate 'aerial travel.

A further object of the invention is provide an amusement apparatus ot the character described in which the cars or aeroplanes are arranged to travel along; a track Way, and are individually provided with propelling means for propulsion aloneJ the track Way, the propellingr devices ot the several aeroplanes being, however', operated from a suitable source ot primary power, such as an electrical 'feed conductor.

A still further object of the invention. is

to provide an aerial amusement apparatus of the character described embodying a track Way of an electrical or other suitalole form suspended from towers or like supports, and having a suitable starting` point or station tor the loading and unloading of passengers, together with suspended cars or aeroplanes, and means for supplying an electric current to the motors driving` the propcllers thereoi, and suitable means tor preventing the cars or aeroplanes from havingr undue oscillatory motion in any direction.

The invention consists ot he features oft construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference beinghadto the accompanying' drawings in which Figure l is a fragmentary elevational vieiv of an aerial amusement apparatus enr bodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of the electric circuit, including,r the motors. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the supportingrame Werl; and showing one of the suspended cars or aeroplanes. Fiend is a top plan vievv ot lovv which is arranged one of the ears or aeroplanes. Fig. 5 is e, sideelevation, on an enlarged scale, ot one if the wheeled supporting carriages or trolleve 'i4-lig. G is a vertical transverse lsection on the line 6-6 oi Fig. 5. 7 is a horizontal section. on the line -T ot Fig, 5.

carrying' my inv ion into practice, l. provide a traclr 'etajv p rahly electrical term andv composed of a cable or rail l, be-

a second cable or rail il, `the said cables heine; respectively supported hv brackets 3 and from frame supports c- H'frl liv ot towers 6. lThese towers maja' he l d at any required distance tn mrtl and the lower por* tions 'l' thereof may he the form oi? hooths tor the sale oit refreshments or 'ier other rails or cables il. @ne ot the cables or rails, the cable or rail l, may7 serve loo-th as a track to support the cars or aeroplane-s l0, oi which anv suitable number may he used, andl as an electrical feed conductor tor the suppl),r of electric current :trom a suitable source oi supply', as indicated at il. in Fig. 2, While the other rail Q maily serve as a.' return conductor. il suitable landing stage or platform, not showin is provided in practice for loading and unloading passengers, which platform may lue reached hy means ot an inclined passoire Wav, stairway er elevator, as preferred. yOne ot the rails, as tlc rail la may be provided adjacent the passage ivagv with a dead or insulated section i9, to prevent the transmission of current to a car or aeroplane While it is arranged at the startingi point for the reception or discharge et passengers. as Well as to prevent liability of danger at this point, Each car or aeroplane may travel hv gravity at this point.y or be nia-mialljT ma; pulated, and for the rwrpose ci? supper'eine` it while in loading' or discharge position it is provided With suitable `wheels i3.

Each car aeroplane comprises a body simulating in appearance an aeroplane oi any conventional t' :se and having seats thereon 't'or the reception ot passengers. Each canoraeroplane is also provided with its own drivingl propeller 15" operated hy an electric motor lil, the propeller in action propelling the car or aeroplane around the track "-.vayv so that the vehicle in its travel will closely sii'nulate the operation oit an,

andV the associated conductor rails. I

lGli

aeroplane making an actual flight in the air.

Each car or aeroplane is suspendedfor travel from and along the track rail or cable l by a trolley or Wheeled carrier frame 17 having one or more bracket arms 18 to which the body of the car or aeroplane is rigidly attached. n said trolley or wheeled trame are, journaled supporting and current. collecting Wheels 19 each having an inner rigid frame 20 and an outer grooved rim 21 between which are disposed coiled cushioning springs 227 allowing the trolley to yieldingly support the body to permit of an up and down motion of the aeroplane to a determined degree to coinpensate for such motions of the vehicle under Wind pressure, While obviating any liability of the displacement or" the Wheels from the track rail or cable. The hanger arm 18 carries a pair of spaced brackets 23 on which is .gjournaled n grooved Wheel 24, which lruns in contact with the'rail 2 and forms a conducting element, said Wheel being urged into contact with said railv by springs 24a. Current passes from the supporting and'collecting lWheels 19 through one orl iore conductors 25 to the motor 16 of each car, and thence passes through a conductor `26 to the pulley 24 and return conductor 2, forming a complete circuit for the supply of current to the motor to drive lthe propeller l5, The' outer ends of the brackets 23 are made relatively divergent so asto guide the Wheel 24. back into engagement with the track 2 in the event that there should be any momentary displacement due to lateral or or aeroplane in its course of travel.

ln practice, it will be understood, of course, that the passengers enter the aeroplane at the landing stage or starting point. and the vehicle is then moved past the dead point 12 in the conductor rail 2 and started oiiits path of travel. rAs-soon as it passes such point l2 current flows from the rail 1 to and through l'the motor 1G and thence to the rail 2, which may be provided with a suitable ground connection, as at 27. 'lhe operation .of the motor 1G drives the propeller l5, which I opels the car or aeroplane at a determined rate of speed around the trackway and back again to the starting point` where the passengers are discharged and the car or aeroplane loaded for the succeeding trip. lf desired, a driver or attendant may be employed on each car or aeroplane, and suitable means be provided lor regulating thc supply of current to the motor, so that the speed of the vehicle may be regulated While in flight as desired or to. A

meet varyingconditions.

ln its course of .travel the vehicle meets the ordinary Wind currents and is hence given a certain degree of vertical andvlat vertical oscillations of the car.

prising a frame 'ilariar conductinfr rails mounted on the eral motion7 so that it closely simulates the operation of an aeroplane in actual free aerial flight-under comparatively still atmospheric conditions. For the purpose of limiting the vertical and lateral movements.

of each vehicle, I provide the uppersurfaces of suchl vehicle with groovedWheels` rollers or projections28 which are adapted to en.- gage the guard rails 9, such projections being normally in loose engagement with said rails, so as to allow `vertical and..l lateral inctions of the vehicle, but to a restricted degree. I am also providing thesides of the Wheeled carrier frame or trolley with pro jections 29 to prevent any possibility of accidental displacement of the Wheels 19 from the rail or cable Wheeled cariier frame may also he arranged friction rollers 30 for running cont-act with the bracket arms 3 in the travel of the supporting and collecting' Wheels past the points oi" support ot' such lrail orcahlc.

It. Will be seen from the foregoing description. that the invention "provides an aerial amusement apparatus which is conparatively simple of construction, reliable and efficient in operation, and adapted for the safe transport of passengers from a suspended carrier, but that in the travel of each vehicle suflicient independent motion is permitted, together with the action of the revolving propeller7 to present the illusion of the traveler making an actual aerial flight While at the Sametime ample safe guards are provided to obviate liability ot danger in the operation of the device. Each car or vehicle is preferably independent ot connection with another, and in practice cars or vehicles are run at a sufficient distance apart in order to avoid liability of collisions, although, as all the cars or vchicles are operated at a common speed, it will be apparent that even should a collision occur noy damage of a material character can 'possibly result.

I claim zl. An aerial amusement apparatus coniprising upper and lower coplanar conductor i'ails, an aerial vehicle, a carrier frame attached to the vehicle, upper vertically dis posed supporting and conducting Wheels carried by said frame and running upon the upper conductor rail2 tact with one of the sides of the lower conductor ra il, an electric motor onv the vehicle, an aerial propeller' driven by said motor, and conductors between the motor and the upper and lower conducting Wheels.

2. Au aerial amusement apparatus com- Work, upper and lower coiraine work, an aerial vehicle, a carrier frame for suspending said vehicle, upper vertically disposed conductor W5-reds joui'n'aled oir the l, and on such. trolley or,

a llower horizontallyl disposed conducting Wheel running in con-i i 1,093,5oe m carrier frame and running upon the upper conducting rail, a lower horizont-ally disposedconductor wheel mounted on the carrier frame and arranged to ride in contact j; with one side of the lower conductor rail,v

an electric motor mounted on the vehicle, a propeller driven by said motorJ conducting 4connections between the vertical and horizontal carrier wheelsand the motor, guard rails upon the frame worlron 'opposite sides of 4the plane of the conductor rails, and guard wheels upon the upper surface of the vehicle arranged to engage said guard rails.

3. An aer1al amusement apparatus e'omf prising a supporting frame work, arms` ex` n tending therefrom and carrying yokes, up-

per and lower eoplanar conductor rails supported by the arms on a line lbetween the arms of the yokes, an aerial vehicle, a carrier' frame for suspending said vehicle, upper vertically disposed conductor Wheels journaled on the carrier frame and runningupon of the yokes2 vguard wheels on the upper sur` face of the vehicle arranged to engage said guard rails, and upper and lower pairs of stops disposed at opposite sides of the upper.

conductor rail and adjacent portion of the supporting frame work for engagement therewith in eop'eration with the` guard rails to limit the vertical and lateral oscillatory moxf'ements'of` the vehicles.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS E.V WADE. Witnesses: v

CHARLES WADE, M. CAMPBELL. 

